The present invention relates generally to illuminated sports boards and pertains, more specifically, to using compact and powerful LED lights to illuminate skateboards and project light out from the skateboards.
Previous illuminated skateboards apply, affix, insert, or attach light bulbs to existing wooden skateboards in order to project light out from discrete and isolated areas within the board or to project light from discrete and isolated areas attached to the outer surface of the board and/or the truck and wheel assemblies attached to the skateboard. These lights are connected by wire to separate battery power and electrical component compartments that are externally affixed or attached to the sports board and are not easily replaced.
Some examples of illuminated sports boards that affix light bulbs or light strips or light panels to solid, non-clear composite and/or wooden skateboards are seen in the following U.S. patents:
Bailey, U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,636 shows a solid wooden skateboard that has LED lights affixed to a plurality of recesses on the side of the board. Light shines out only from these discrete areas and the board itself is not illuminated. The LED lights are not easily replaceable and the battery compartment is externally attached to the board.
Wood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,196 shows a wooden skateboard with a groove around the periphery within which a string of LED lights are permanently embedded and affixed. Skid bars with LED lights mounted in them are also shown with wires that attach to an externally mounted power and battery compartment. These external mountings are bulky and interfere with the normal and traditional operation and riding of the skateboard. If these lights fail due to the normal wear and tear of riding a skateboard, they are not easily replaced. The skateboard itself is not illuminated, the LED lights only project light out from the edge, or surface, of the board.
Seifert, U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,284 shows a wooden skateboard with a peripheral groove and a hollow central slit which hold embedded and affixed LED light strings. These light strings are attached by wires to electrical power components contained within a protective housing mounted between one of the trucks and the bottom surface of the skateboard deck. These electrical connections cannot be replaced by the skateboard user and they add additional weight and bulk to the skateboard.
Seifert, U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,733 shows an electro-luminescent sheet attached to the top surface of the skateboard and covered with a permanent layer of resin for protection. This light source cannot be replaced by the user, and it only serves to project light out from the surface of the solid wooden skateboard.
These inventions only project light out from the LED light source and they do not illuminate the board material itself. These inventions have bulky external power compartments that alter the weight, appearance, and performance of the skateboards as compared to traditional, non-illuminated skateboards. Additionally, the LED light sources are not easily replaced by the user in the event the LED bulbs break, wear out, or fail to operate properly.